30 home-grown feasts to look out for at this weekend’s Summer Fair

Posted on August 21, 2024August 21, 2024

The gardens of Hillsborough Castle will come alive during this bank holiday weekend, the final one of the summer, with the smells, sounds and sights of the Summer Fair. Around 30 food producers, invited in collaboration with Food NI, will conjure the taste of Northern Ireland for visitors this Saturday, Sunday and Monday 24^th – 26^th August.

Here are 30 products born, grown, created, poured and made in Northern Ireland that you have to taste if you’re headed to the Hillsborough Castle Summer Fair this weekend.

1. Pineapple and Chilli Jam by Shorthorn Kitchen. This is an uber-cool brand from local stalwarts of the restaurant industry, who have created a range of artisan sauces and condiments, all of which are influenced by the seasons and the delicious produce that can be sourced throughout the year to make them. We love the pineapple and chilli jam as it’s sweet, has a kick, and goes with absolutely everything.

• Long Meadow Cider’s Medium Cider. Unsurprisingly based in the orchard county, Co. Armagh, Long Meadow has just added two more Guild of Fine Food Great Taste Awards to their roster, one for their Medium Cider. Produced from their homegrown, hand-picked apples, the family behind the products produce a range of craft ciders, apple juice and apple cider vinegar. Their motto is “From Plant to Pour” and we couldn’t agree with them more!

• Omi Seasoning from Partie de Moi. This joyous company adds a pinch of excitement to everything they create, including their Omi seasoning, which is named after Stephanie’s German Grandmother, and it is a unique savoury hand blended seasoning of herbs, Mussenden Sea Salt, onion and garlic flakes which “adds a fresh, verdant flavour to countless savoury dishes” according to Stephanie herself, who makes all of her seasonings on the North Coast.

• Rosie’s Garden Gin by Shortcross. It is Ireland’s most awarded gin and is made by Shortcross Distillery, part of the Rademon Estate Distillery in Co. Down, Northern Ireland’s first award-winning craft distillery. The Summer Fair will be held in the beautiful gardens of Hillsborough Castle, so we suggest choosing Shortcross’s Rosie’s Garden Gin which is described by the team as “summer in a glass”.

• Confit Duck from Lecale Harvest. Yet another Great Taste Award winner, and with good reason. This clever product from Lecale Harvest, which is a family-run business based in Co. Down, does all the hard work for you – the vacuum packed ready to eat products are hugely delicious and satisfying with very little effort required. We cannot recommend sampling them at the Summer Fair more!

• Ginger & Elderberry Shot by Jackson Roze Ginger Wine. A fantastic little immunity boosting drink that is excellent for our gut and tastes delicious! Jackson Roze is a family-run, artisanal drinks producer of non-alcoholic ginger wine that has been passed down through family generations for 100 years. They’re a really unique and interesting company who are innovatively bringing their techniques to the health food sphere with these little shots and we are sold!

• Burren Balsamics Strawberry and Mint. Yes, it could absolutely be drizzled over a zesty summery salad, but we also love adding a dash to our summer prosecco! Burren Balsamics was founded with a passion for innovation using local ingredients and traditional methods. The company proudly champion Ireland’s exceptional produce by carefully infusing small-batch balsamic vinegar with locally sourced ingredients.

• Salted Caramel Meringues from The Fluffy Meringue. Could there be a more delicious summery treat? These are exactly what you would expect – a large, blooming meringue infused with salted caramel, and topped with chocolate. You can also try the chocolate orange, lemon, honeycomb and raspberry & chocolate flavours, but choosing a favourite will be hard!

• Armagh Bramley Apple Gin by Symphonia Spirits. We are nearing the end of the summer, which means we’re looking to all things apple from pies to pours, so we will definitely be tasting some apple gins from Symphonia Spirits. They’re a multi-award winning distillery in Moy, Co. Tyrone and create products that showcase the local countryside. So refreshing!

1. Honey Caramel Sauce from Marshall Beekeeping. We love bees! They’re the life force of our eco system and they also make incredible honey, which has been beautifully produced and jarred by Christine Marshall for her Marshall Beekeeping range of products. This is a recent Great Taste Award winner and is as deliciously sweet as you’d expect. You can drizzle it over anything you desire but could we suggest some vanilla ice cream?

1. Erin Grove Classic Lemon Curd. Where to even begin with this fresh and zingy delight? It is the taste of summer and comes from experts in preserves and chutneys, Erin Grove based in the heart of the Fermanagh Lakelands. Their small batch production means those simple, traditional yet important flavours do not get lost and are true to the way founder Jayne Paget’s grandmother taught her how to make jam when she was a little girl.

1. Shut Yer Gob toffees from Granny Shaw’s. Granny Shaw’s is a very appropriate stall to visit at the Summer Fair as they’ll be offering up a range of confectionary made with old Victorian recipes, many of which we’re sure were enjoyed within Hillsborough Castle by its residents over the years. Expect fudge, tablet, macaroon and coconut ices alongside their famous incredibly sticky yet completely irresistible Shut Yer Gob toffees, which will indeed, shut your gob for a good while.

1. Irish Black Butter. We guarantee you’ll have heard of Irish Black Butter but never actually tasted it, enjoyed it on top of a slab of cheddar, mixed in with ice cream… yes, it is that versatile. Created by Alistair Bell it is a non-dairy, rich, spicy apple conserve (made with Armagh Bramley Apples) which can be used as an ingredient when making bread, or just spread on top of a slice. Trust us, try it.

1. Ballylisk Triple Rose Cheese. Co. Armagh’s Ballylisk Dairies have upped their game with the Triple Rose – it’s like their signature brie, but creamier (hence the triple!), balanced by salty, lemony tones. The Wright’s produce their range of award-winning semi-soft cow’s milk cheese utilising milk from their family farm, just outside Portadown. Go the full hog and peruse their range of chutneys, preserves, oatcakes and local honey at the Summer Fair to create the ultimate cheeseboard.

1. Seafood Sauce from Pure Thai Sauces. This artisanal sweet and spicy sauce made from a family recipe is sweet and punchy, and doesn’t just go with seafood – dip everything in there, smother it over chicken, it works with everything. Pure Thai Sauces is a family run business in Bangor, and they come from a rich gastronomic and hospitality background, priding themselves in supporting local growers and working closely with suppliers and local food purveyors to produce quality sauces that give that authentic Thai taste.

1. Elderflower Cordial from Papas Mineral Company. It’s light, sweet and can be enjoyed with soda water or splashed into many summer cocktails to see out the bank holiday weekend. Papas produce award winning artisan drinks and speciality cordials, made in small batches with each flavour blended by hand and each bottle filled and finished by hand, too.

1. Chilli Bolognese Sauce from Peppup Sauces. Why just have normal Bolognese when you can have it with a kick? Exactly. Peppup Sauces also have the added advantage of being ‘clean’, meaning no added sugar, no added fat, no allergens, they’re IBS friendly, and have no thickeners or preservatives.

1. Beer Mustard by Indie Fude. Indie Fude pride themselves in their selection of carefully curated local artisan foods from local suppliers across NI, and this is a product of a collaboration with aforementioned Burren Balsamics. It’s tangy and sweet with a kick from the Irish stout infused throughout. The team recommend it with mature cheddar or “any pork dish” – imagine it on your barbecued hot dogs!

1. Loaded fries from Glaze and Roll. Is there anything better than chips topped with your favourite additions, that you can actually taste the quality of? And Glaze and Roll’s are iconic. Of course, chef and owner Wayne’s company ethos is to support local producers by using their products where they can, and showcase as much local produce throughout their dishes as possible. Make sure to stop by this weekend!

• Portavogie Scampi from Linen Hill Street Kitchen. You know when you see Portavogie prawns on a menu you have to order them, and Linen Hill’s scampi is absolutely on the money. Hot, fresh and salty, get them with a side of chips and really do it properly! The Banbridge-based caterers is run by John and Fiona Robinson who pride themselves on delivering an extensive range using the finest produce sourced from local suppliers.

• Sorbet from Lick Gelato. It’s obviously not just any sorbet when it comes from Lick Gelato, the handcrafted, artisan Italian style ice cream. You can choose from lemon & blood orange, orange & pineapple or orange & raspberry. Or all three, who are we to judge?

• Pork is the choice for Blaeberry Farm. Straight from their own Farm, Mary-Leigh and her team will kick off your morning with just what’s needed – a filled soda, breakfast bap… you name it! Mary-Leigh and her family at Blaeberry Farm rear rare breed pigs and produce an incredible range of pork products to try or bring home to cook yourselves.

• The Classic Burger from The Chef’s Mill. Jamie has been an award-winning professional chef for 18 years, so you can expect this classic to be the ultimate taste sensation. It’s made up of a 6 oz Lisdergan beef patty, Emmental cheese, topped with Kennedy’s ‘baconnaise’, and all within a lovely soft, brioche bun. The Chef’s Mill was born from pure passion and Jamie’s cooking reflects just that!

• A Chai Latte from Crumb and Beyond. Usually based on the North Coast, Crumb and Beyond will be driving their coffee box down to Hillsborough Castle and Gardens for the Summer Fair and we implore you to try their chai lattes. However Debbie never fails, whatever the order.

• A warming cuppa from The Fancy Fox coffee van…but no matter your choice The Fancy Fox will always deliver! Owned by Lorna O’Boyle from Castlewellan, they specialise in barista style Bro Coffee, Suki Tea, hot chocolate and serve up some great local bakes as well.

• A scoop from Ben’s Ice Cream Studio. They call themselves scoop engineers over at Ben’s, and we’re not surprised as they take their ice cream making very seriously, meaning it tastes extra delicious. Pick any flavour and all the toppings and you’re sorted. Everything is locally sourced and just the ticket to cool you down after a day of meandering around Hillsborough Castle and Gardens.

• Loaded Fries Seasoning by Crawford Rocks. The Crawford family has ben harvesting seaweed to create their award-winning seasoning products for decades, and we love this loaded fries seasoning. Obviously, it’s delicious topped on hot, crispy French fries with your additional toppings of choice, thanks to this sea salt with sea truffle, dehydrated olives and spices flavours.

• A Wagyu Sausage from Kingsbury Wagyu. Wagyu beef is a flavour and taste sensation in itself, but made into a sausage is just next level. The Kingsbury team have crafted these sausages from the finest Wagyu beef, blending a rich, succulent taste with a perfectly tender texture. Enjoy some samples at Hillsborough Castle’s Summer Fair, and take some products home for the final Summer BBQ.

• Cake Pops from Little Cake Works. It’s hard to choose just one thing from Little Cake Works as we could easily include one of their traybakes, too, but cake pops are just that little bit more exciting and fun, especially for the Summer Fair! Little Cake Works motto is ‘every cake deserves to be special’ and these yummy cake pops are testament to that!

• Ninth Wave Gin from Hinch Distillery. This is an award-winning gin and is as refreshing as it is tasty. Hinch is based in, you guessed it, Ballynahinch and is best known for producing whiskey and gin, while also hosting tours and events at their fantastic distillery venue. They’ve also just opened a new restaurant, Era, led by Head Chef Gemma Austin.

It’s not just locally produced foodie finds that can be enjoyed at Hillsborough Castle’s Summer Fair; browse art from Deborah Campbell, natural bathing products from Bathe Botanicals, lampshades with stories from around the world from The Lampshade Jungle, fabulous faux florals from Blossom Meadow and vibrant and bold accessories and jewellery from Fiddle Fig. There will also be a set list of live music throughout the weekend, while Hillsborough Castle’s award-winning gardening team will be on hand to share secret tips and tricks during their Gardeners’ Clinic. Book tickets now at hrp.org.uk/Hillsborough-castle.